Ego Update

Artists

Kim Asendorf, LaTurbo Avedon, Evan Baden, Arvida Byström, Kurt Caviezel, Robbie Cooper, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, MC Fitti, Alison Jackson, Erik Kessels, Florian Kuhlmann, Dafna Maimon, Netro, Onformative, Ontheroofs, Martin Parr, Evan Roth, Andreas Schmidt, Guido Segni, Oliver Sieber, David Slater, Amalia Ulman und Jonas Unger. Das filmische Begleitprogramm stellen Stéphane Degoutin und Gwenola Wagon, Janez Janša, Nicolas Ritter, Stéphane Carrel, Lutz Mommartz und Lynn Hershman Leeson.Kim Asendorf, LaTurbo Avedon, Evan Baden, Arvida Byström, Kurt Caviezel, Robbie Cooper, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, MC Fitti, Alison Jackson, Erik Kessels, Florian Kuhlmann, Dafna Maimon, Netro, Onformative, Ontheroofs, Martin Parr, Evan Roth, Andreas Schmidt, Guido Segni, Oliver Sieber, David Slater, Amalia Ulman und Jonas Unger.

Film programme by Stéphane Degoutin and Gwenola Wagon, Janez Janša, Nicolas Ritter, Stéphane Carrel, Lynn Hershman Leeson and foundation imai.

Publication

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication featuring essays that take an in-depth look at the theme, by authors including Jerry Saltz, Douglas Coupland, Adam Levin, David Rubinstein, Brooke Wendt and Karen Ann Donnachie.

The virtual Sitcom "Teh Life” by berlin-based Internet artist Kim Asendorf and his creative agency Netro (Ole Fach, Jana Lang) is a entire digital work, which has been produced exlusively for the exhibition Ego Update.

Exhibition view of the exhibition Ego Update with a skateramp covered with photos on which a skater rides while people are watching him — Erik-Kessels My-Feet-2015 ©-NRW-Forum Foto-Andreas-Kuschner-ALIMONIE

“I photograph and document, therefore I am.” EGO UPDATE. The future of the digital identity revolves around the phenomenon of the ‘selfie’, investigating how the fundamental human question of “Who am I?” is taking shape, changing and evolving under the influence of digital media. How are world-wide digital and technological developments encroaching on human identity, and what kind of society will ultimately emerge? In what ways are our ideas of identity and the things we wish for being shaped (or recreated) by digital communications?

EGO UPDATE. The 23 national and international participants making up the future of the digital identity will provide food for thought and possible answers. Taking part are Kim Asendorf, LaTurbo Avedon, Evan Baden, Arvida Byström, Kurt Caviezel, Robbie Cooper, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, MC Fitti, Alison Jackson, Erik Kessels, Florian Kuhlmann, Dafna Maimon, Netro, Onformative, Ontheroofs, Martin Parr, Evan Roth, Andreas Schmidt, Guido Segni, Oliver Sieber, David Slater, Amalia Ulman and Jonas Unger.

The group exhibition with an accompanying programme and partner projects will run from 19th September 2015 to 17th January 2016 at the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf; it will be the first curatorial project for Alain Bieber in his capacity as artistic head of the museum.

The digital, artistic self

Selfies: 25 million Germans are thought to take the self-portrait photos at arm’s length. ‘Selfie’ was confirmed as the English word of the year in 2013, while in 2014 Time magazine declared Düsseldorf the selfie capital of Germany. In global terms, the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ranked 136 – well ahead of Berlin and Hamburg.

The fundamental human question of “Who am I?” leads to the question of “Who do I want to be?” (or “Who should I be?”). This issue – which involves philosophy, economics, morals, theology and politics in equal measure – manifests itself in societal, political and cultural modes of expression. Within the network that exists now, self-image is far more defining than was the case in pre-digital days. The digital self is agile, active, creative and becoming more artistic all the time. In a selfie, real life is transferred to a stage; aphorisms and comment collide on Twitter; Internet videos feature monologues, dance shows and performances; Internet memes alter the context of pictures through the addition of text. Nowadays, everyone is in a position to project whatever virtual image they wish. At the same time, there is also a need to talk ‘as oneself’, especially within the digital cultural space. The true self cannot resist the urge to divulge, ignoring – or simply accepting – the problems of data protection and personal rights.

Three people take a selfie with a bust of the musician MC Fitti

Workshop-für-Schüler 1 ©-NRW-Forum-Düsseldorf

Mediation

Not everything is self-explanatory and many ideas of the exhibition lead to some debate: For all those who want to learn more about the topics of Ego Update, we offer several guided tours and workshops that accompany the exhibition.

→ More information and booking

Accompanying programme and partner projects

Ego Update Mc Fitti © Nrw Forum Düsseldorf Foto Andreas Kuschner Alimonie 4

Performance MC Fitti

19th September 2015

Undoubtedly, DIRK WITEK (aka MC FITTI) could be described as a ‘living selfie’. For EGO UPDATE, he casted himself in bronze and performed at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf on 19th September 2015.

→ further information

The world's first cyborg fair

6th to 8th November 2015

As part of EGO UPDATE. The future of the digital identity, the world's first cyborg fair will be held at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf from 6th-8th November 2015. The organisers and curators of the event include Cyborg e.V., a company that promotes and critically oversees the fusion of humans and technology. Fair stands and presentations are planned, along with live performances and concerts.

Human-Comma-Being-The-Class-performance-at-KunstWerke-6

Human comma being: Extended I Exercise featuring Dafna Maimon

12th December 2015

The video work andperformance by the Finnish-Israeli artist Dafna Maimon engages with theconstruction of identity and questions definitions of the self, of other and of one’s own body.

Partner project: STREAMING EGOS

15th to 17th January 2016
“Streaming Egos” is a project of the Goethe Institute in south-west Europe, in cooperation with the Slow Media Institute Bonn and the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf. Discourses and artistic forms of expression of digital identity in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain will be encouraged, creatively developed, examined and presented.

→ ebook download

Film programme

18.09. – 11.10.2015 Stéphane Degoutin und Gwenola Wagon: WorldBrain, F, 2015

12.10. – 25.10.2015 Janez Janša: My name is Janez Janša, SI, 2012

26.10. – 08.11.2015 Nicolas Ritter: The Cloud, D, 2015

09.11. – 22.11.2015 Stéphane Carrel: Das Selbstporträt im Zeitalter der Selfies , F, 2015

23.11. – 06.12.2015 Looking back forward. Video art from the archive of imai

07.12.2015 – 03.01.2016 Charlie Brooker: White Christmas (Black Mirror), 2014

04.01. – 17.01.2016 Lynn Hershman Leeson: Teknolust, USA, 2002

Curator: Alain Bieber
Exhibition design: Louisa Georg, Sadrick Schmidt
Production: Nicola Funk
Exhibition construction | art installation: toma artservice.
Louisa Georg, Sadrick Schmidt
Assitenz: Nikolaj Tkatschenko
Light: Alice Strauch
Technique: Sigma System Audio-Visuell GmbH
Wall systems: Jürgen Wefers (Ropertz Holzbau GmbH)
Painting work: Waldemar Maciossek, Antonio Meffe